Accelerator table
Encyclopedia
In Windows
programming, an accelerator table allows an application to specify a list of accelerators (keyboard shortcut
s) for menu items or other commands. For example, Ctrl
+S is often used as a shortcut to the File→Save menu item, Ctrl+O is a common shortcut to the File→Open menu item, etc. An accelerator takes precedence over normal processing and can be a convenient way to program some event handling.
Accelerator tables are usually located in the resources
section of the binary
.
Since using the menus, and subsequently the mouse, is not always the best solution, it is important to provide users with the possibility to minimize usage of the mouse. For this reason showing the accelerators in menus can be useful; it informs the user that there are shortcuts, and that using the mouse is not always mandatory.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
programming, an accelerator table allows an application to specify a list of accelerators (keyboard shortcut
Keyboard shortcut
In computing, a keyboard shortcut is a finite set of one or more keys that invoke a software or operating system operation when triggered by the user. A meaning of term "keyboard shortcut" can vary depending on software manufacturer...
s) for menu items or other commands. For example, Ctrl
CTRL
CTRL may refer to several things:*Channel Tunnel Rail Link, a high-speed railway line opened in the 2000s in Britain*Control key, an input button present on most computer keyboards*Ctrl, an American comedy web series from NBC...
+S is often used as a shortcut to the File→Save menu item, Ctrl+O is a common shortcut to the File→Open menu item, etc. An accelerator takes precedence over normal processing and can be a convenient way to program some event handling.
Accelerator tables are usually located in the resources
Resource (Windows)
In Microsoft Windows, resources are read-only data embedded in EXE, DLL, CPL or MUI files.The Windows API provides for easy access to all applications' resources.-Types:...
section of the binary
Portable Executable
The Portable Executable format is a file format for executables, object code and DLLs, used in 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems. The term "portable" refers to the format's versatility in numerous environments of operating system software architecture...
.
Accelerators and menus
Each accelerator is associated with a control ID, the same kind of IDs which are assigned to buttons, combo boxes, list boxes, and also menu items. In this way, GUI objects can be created which represent the same function as an accelerator.Since using the menus, and subsequently the mouse, is not always the best solution, it is important to provide users with the possibility to minimize usage of the mouse. For this reason showing the accelerators in menus can be useful; it informs the user that there are shortcuts, and that using the mouse is not always mandatory.